Serena, Alcaraz Win US Open Mixed Opener

Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz won their US Open mixed doubles opener. They beat Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 on Tuesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium and moved into the quarterfinals, USA TODAY Sports reported. The Athletic logged the same straight-sets result. NZ Herald had 5-3, 3-1, a one-game slip on the second set. The USA TODAY scoreboard listed 5-3, 4-1. Williams had not played a competitive match on Ashe since 2022. Alcaraz had not played a tournament since April. They still closed it.

They trailed 3-1 in the first set. Alcaraz double-faulted and lost serve to start, NZ Herald wrote, and said afterward he was "really really nervous" after more than four months out. Williams "made it really easy," he said. USA TODAY said they won eight of the next nine games. Williams hit a 120 mph ace in the comeback. At 30-30 in the first-set closer she ripped a cross-court return winner and let out the roar. Alcaraz finished the set with a forehand passing shot up the line, NZ Herald had it.

Serena Alcaraz mixed doubles: the format, the next match

Sets are to four games. No-ad. A 10-point match tiebreak replaces a third set until the final. That is the Fan Week package the USTA built so singles names play before Aug. 30. The winning team gets $1 million, USA TODAY recapped. Williams is a six-time US Open singles champion. Alcaraz is the defending men's singles champion. Routliffe and Glasspool came through qualifying Monday. They still could not hold a 3-1 lead against that serve and that athlete on Ashe.

The quarterfinal is Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli. USA TODAY had that pair taking the first set 5-4 on a tiebreak later Tuesday, with Williams losing both service points and Cobolli closing it with an ace. That quarterfinal was still live when the blog updated at 5:45 p.m. ET. This article is the opener. Do not read the first-set QF line as a final. The morning preview had Routliffe and Glasspool as the first-round test. That test is over.

What else broke on Ashe and Armstrong

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic already lost in the first round. Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz went out 4-2, 4-1 to Diana Shnaider and Casper Ruud, USA TODAY listed. Defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori were knocked out by Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev. Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik reached the Wednesday semifinals. Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils did too. Williams and Alcaraz are the celebrity tape that is still alive. Bencic and Cobolli are next if that quarterfinal finishes their way. If it does not, the comeback on Ashe is still the clip from Tuesday afternoon.

Serena Alcaraz mixed doubles result FAQ

What was the Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz mixed doubles score? They won 5-3, 4-1 against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool, per USA TODAY Sports and The Athletic. NZ Herald had 5-3, 3-1. First round, Tuesday, Aug. 25, Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Who do Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz play next? Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals, NZ Herald and USA TODAY both reported. That match was scheduled for 5 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Was this Serena Williams' first US Open match since 2022? Yes. NZ Herald said it was her first competitive match in Arthur Ashe Stadium since her 2022 retirement. Alcaraz was playing his first match in more than four months.